The Art of Fielding

'Sensational'OBSERVER'Terrific' JONATHAN FRANZEN'Exceptional' GUARDIAN'Pure fun' JOHN IRVING'Outstanding'THE TIMESA disastrous error on the field sends five lives into a tailspin in this widely acclaimed debut novel of love, life and baseball.Henry Skrimshander, a shy, small-town kid, arrives at Westish College with a talent for baseball that borders on genius. But when a routine throw goes disastrously off course, the fates of five very different people are suddenly upended.Henry's fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. Owen, Henry's charismatic roommate, becomes caught up in secret that jeopardises everything. Mike, his best friend, realises he has championed Henry's career at the expense of his own. Pella Affenlight returns to Westish after her marriage falls apart, determined to start a new life. Only to find that her father, the college president, has fallen desperately in love himself.As the season counts down to its climactic final game, all five are forced to confront the hopes, anxieties and secrets that they so hoped to keep at bay.'Irresistible … a richly peopled world to which you long to return when you put the book down'GUARDIAN'Wonderful … a novel that is every bit as entertaining as it is affecting' NEW YORK TIMES'A page-turning, beguiling and wonderfully warm-hearted read'SUNDAY TIMES